An Interview with Brewers 3rd round pick Cy Sneed

Brewers 2014 third round pick Cy Sneed, a right-handed pitcher out of Dallas Baptist University, was gracious enough to do a quick interview over the phone with me over the weekend. Here is the transcript of that interview. Huge thank you once again to Cy for taking the time out of what has been a busy week for him to do this! Feel free to give him a follow on Twitter.

BCB: How are you doing?

Cy Sneed: Pretty well.

BCB: I'm sure it's been a crazy week for you. Drafted, engaged, signed your first contract. Have you had any time to celebrate?

Cy Sneed: Nah, not too much. Holding off on the celebration for now.

BCB: It's probably just nice to relax for a bit when you can find the time, too.

Cy Sneed: Oh absolutely, yeah.

BCB: When did you know the Brewers would draft you? Did you have a sense they would call your name, or did it come as a surprise?

Cy Sneed: I got a call from their area guy like ten minutes before the draft that day. So I had an idea, but I wasn't 100% sure. Especially with baseball and draft-wise, nothing's really sure until your name pops up on the board. I tried to keep myself from getting too crazy before I saw that, so I was just trying to be not nervous but not necessarily expecting it at the same time just so I wouldn't be crushed if I didn't get picked.

BCB: Were you happy the Brewers picked you?

Cy Sneed: Absolutely. I was thrilled.

BCB: Who did you grow up rooting for? Born in Idaho, there probably wasn't an obvious choice.

Cy Sneed: Nah, everyone [in Idaho] kind of roots for whoever they want. Everybody just makes up their own guy they want to root for. I really root more for players rather than a team, you know, the guys who play the game the right way or guys I like to watch pitch, that kind of thing. It was cool to get drafted by the Brewers because with everything they bring to the table, they're obviously a great franchise. I also get to start playing here, in the Pioneer League, which is close to home. And, you know, National League teams you get to hit so that'll be fun. They're exactly what I was hoping for.

BCB: And you visited Miller Park recently, too. How did you like the stadium?

Cy Sneed: It was awesome. Great experience to go get to see all that. It was really nice to see that park and how beautiful it is. It makes you work hard every day and gives you a sense what you're working towards.

BCB: A lot of scouting reports pegged you as a reliever moving forward. Do you have a preference between that and starting?

Cy Sneed: I prefer starter. I never really relieved in my life. But, I mean, it's wherever they need me, I'll get out and take the ball whenever they want me to. So it's really up to them, it's not my decision at all. Like I said, I'll take the ball when they need me. But I'm comfortable being a starter because I've been doing that a long time. My brother [Zeb, a prospect in the Royals system] started as a starter, then got put in the bullpen in his second year and has done much better. We'll see, maybe relief is in the Sneed family tree but we'll find out I guess.

BCB: Have the Brewers given you any indication what they see you as moving forward?

Cy Sneed: No, they haven't. Not yet.

BCB: Do you have any personal goals for yourself as you begin your first professional season?

Cy Sneed: No, just don't fall into the trap -- I don't even want to call it a trap -- but don't fall into the thought of "You can go ahead and get your feet wet" or "Ease into it" blah blah blah. Don't do that, just feed yourself right into the fire and expect nothing. Don't get lacksadaisical with the process or your results. You have to attack and go with what's working and what will work at this level, and that's pitching well consistently and knowing how to get people out. I can't just be happy to be here, I have to be always pushing to that next level to get one percent better every day.

BCB: What would you say your biggest strength is as a pitcher?

Cy Sneed: Probably just being able to read hitters. Get scouting reports on those guys. Watch a guy take one at bat and by the fourth or fifth at-bat having a full scouting report on how to pitch him. I think that's my biggest strength because I'm always going to have a plan going in against the guy I'm facing.

BCB: So being from Idaho, how excited are you for a potential move to Wisconsin in the future? Are you looking forward to the hunting?

Cy Sneed: Yeah, it's another great thing. It's a good opportunity with the Brewers. It's in a nice place; Milwaukee isn't an enormous city. It's still large, but it's not New York with millions and millions of people or Dallas-Ft. Worth with all kinds of people. Houston, same thing. San Francisco, L.A. Milwaukee's a little different because it doesn't have that people everywhere kind of thing. It's a little more spread out, less densely populate. So that's a little thing that's kind of been the culture of things I like to do.

BCB: What was your major at Dallas Baptist?

Cy Sneed: Business management.

BCB: Are you going to continue working towards that while playing?

Cy Sneed: Yeah, I will. In the offseasons and stuff. Get those last few credits I have left and knock 'em out so I can just focus on baseball. But I'll leave that until the offseason.

BCB: How long have you been rocking the awesome fu manchu mustache?

Cy Sneed: Well, it's gone now. The Brewers have a rule in their minor leagues that you can't have a mustache past the bottom of your mouth.

BCB: I did not know that.

Cy Sneed: Yup, so it died yesterday. But I'm still rocking the normal stache. Not sure how I feel about it yet, I feel a little bit like a traitor. But I've had that since January of my Freshman year. They told me to shave it just one time, when our team had a big fight last year in the middle of the season and I shaved it off completely. But other than that it's either been fu man or a big bushy mountain-man beard. But there's no beards, only mustaches, so I'll take what I can get.

BCB: But if you make the majors, will it be making a return?

Cy Sneed: Oh absolutely, it would definitely see some attention that's for sure.

BCB: You mentioned your brother before. I've got a couple brothers myself, so I can understand there may be a bit of a friendly sibling rivalry. If given the opportunity would you rather play with Zeb or against him?

Cy Sneed: As a starter I would love to pitch with him just because it would be awesome to pitch seven innings and have my brother come in for the last two and get the save. At the same time it would be really fun to pitch against him, especially if he were a starter and I got to start against him. Either way, being on the same field with him would be really nice, we haven't had that chance in several years. Maybe one day our paths will cross.

BCB: I have one more question, and I can understand if you won't want to answer it. You've been drafted by a team with Ryan Braun the star for the foreseeable future. Do you have any thoughts on him coming into your own professional career?

Cy Sneed: You know, I think it's kind of hard to have thoughts on someone you haven't met and have only seen on TV. I don't think that does justice to a guy like him. I know I wouldn't necessarily want someone to make an assumption on me based off a couple articles they read online, so I don't think it's fair to have a statement or any thoughts on him right now.

BCB: Cy, thanks so much for taking the time to do this with me. Best of luck this season!

Cy Sneed: Thank you!